Referee Hwang In-tae ‘Dream Stage’ makes his NBA First Korean debut

A Korean referee will also be active in American professional basketball (NBA).

Referee Hwang In-tae served as assistant referee in the match between the Phoenix Suns and the Houston Rockets in the 2022-23 NBA Regular Season held at the Phoenix Footprint Center in Arizona, USA on 31st (Korean time). Hwang is the first Korean referee to whistle on the NBA stage.

Referee Hwang became a referee of the Korea Basketball Association in 2004. Since then, he is a veteran who has participated in 466 games (including playoffs) as a KBL referee from 2008 to 2019. As a referee for the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), he has also been active in several international competitions such as the Olympics and the World Cup. At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he served as a referee in the women’s basketball final and was recognized on the world stage.

In January 2020, Referee Hwang received an invitation from the NBA to participate in the referee training program and left for the United States to make his NBA stage debut. This program course is the education you need to take to become a referee in the NBA, lower leagues, G-League, and WNBA. The NBA is said to have paid attention to the stable running of the games that Referee Hwang showed at the Olympics.

About 17,000 spectators filled the stadium for the match. Despite the large crowd, referee Hwang managed the match stably. In the 4th quarter, players from both teams nervously fought and refereed quickly blocking the situation which led to a physical brawl.